Heather Jaspan (University of Washington)
Dr Heather Jaspan is an Associate Member of the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM) at the University of Cape Town and an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington Departments of Pediatrics and Global Health, Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Dr Jaspan completed her medical degree and PhD in Immunology at Tulane in USA, and then studied paediatrics training at the Seattle Children’s Hospital. Upon completion, she returned home to South Africa, where she spent 5 years researching clinical HIV prevention. In 2008, she trained in a Paediatric Infectious Diseases subspecialty, returning to basic science immunology research at the Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Dr Jaspan spends time recruiting cohorts in South Africa, and running laboratories in both Cape Town and Seattle, while answering immunological questions around HIV prevention in children via breastfeeding and in adolescents via sexual activity.
Dr Jaspan spoke to Immunopaedia about infant immunity and how it differs from adult immunity in humans.
Heather Jaspan, University of Cape Town – Infant Immunity